America's future

[Prestonyte]

See this is where misinformation causes problems. No one is teaching DEI in K-12 education. You may have a point in some college classrooms, but not in K-12. The only classes in high school where this can possibly happen is in your Civics, History, and Social Studies courses. I think it is rare even in those classes. I think the problem is people don't respect teachers in leading their classroom and they try to engineer how a course is taught from the outside. To put it simply, we have too many chefs in the kitchen and parents, in many cases, don't let the teacher manage his/her classroom. For example, during COVID, I was working from home and my son was taking a 9th grade History class. In listening to the instructor, I felt he was teaching the class in a very Eurocentric way (the opposite of DEI for those who may not understand) and I didn't like it. I felt the urge to call the school about it. Then I thought to myself. Nope, you need to fall back. Let that man manage his classroom. My son needs to learn from all types of perspectives. I let it go. We have to many parents now who can't let it go and we have a mess in education because of it.

There is an awful lot of business investment being done in DEI for K-12 education for there to be ''no one is teaching DEI in K-12 education''. In fact, there is a whole industry built around it and not a figment of the imagination. Just a couple of examples below.

Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in K12 Education—Hurix Digital

Explore the impact of DEI in K12 education, its benefits, and strategies for fostering inclusive learning environments in schools.

www.hurix.com

5 Ways to Improve DEI for K-12 Curriculum

As educational content creators, it is our responsibility to strive for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in K-12 education.

apasseducation.com

Graduate Online Teacher Education Programs | Merrimack

Advance your career with Merrimack College's online teacher education programs, developed in partnership with top school districts and employers.

online.merrimack.edu

Pentagon 'stealthily' pushing DEI in K-12 schools despite public pressure, report shows

The Pentagon has spent a combined nearly $6 million since 2019 on education vendors providing DEI materials, according to the report.

kval.com

 

[Lurker123]

It's a difference between being involved and trying to micromanage a classroom. I am just a person that believe in if you have an issue with a teacher go to that teacher and discuss the reasons behind what they are doing. You can be highly involved and allow a teacher to teach in his/her way at the same time. As a Black professional, there is no way I would teach a Civics or Government High School class in this environment. The minute I say something that makes "Lil Johnny" feel bad as a White kid you would have people accusing me of teaching CRT or DEI (which is usually a department in industry. It's not a topic for a class, y'all). Just SMH at some of the beliefs that are out there. Just had two kids graduate from high school over the past eight years. I am still waiting for them to enroll in that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion class that have some of you so up in arms.

As a parent who has done that very thing, and recently, I will tell you that going to the teacher gets you sent up the line. Then you get a lot of cross finger pointing about policies.

And no, DEI is not a listed class in any of the schools that I know of. Is that SERIOUSLY your litmus test for whether it's being used in schools, though? Do you actually believe CRT and DEI aren't in schools as long as the syllabus or class listings don't list them?

If that's your depth of understanding, I begin to understand what's behind some of your previous posts that I dismissed as nonsense.

 

[will110]

Another one!

Nobody is that stupid. That's got to be staged.

 

[Lurker123]

Nobody is that stupid. That's got to be staged.

It is my sincere hope it is staged. But as I grow older, my faith in my fellow man seems to diminish.

 

[adcoop]

As a parent who has done that very thing, and recently, I will tell you that going to the teacher gets you sent up the line. Then you get a lot of cross finger pointing about policies.

And no, DEI is not a listed class in any of the schools that I know of. Is that SERIOUSLY your litmus test for whether it's being used in schools, though? Do you actually believe CRT and DEI aren't in schools as long as the syllabus or class listings don't list them?

If that's your depth of understanding, I begin to understand what's behind some of your previous posts that I dismissed as nonsense.

Of course not, but you guys are not giving any specific examples. You are just engaging in innuendo and rumor and I don't believe in that. For the record, is your depth of understanding that everything a person different than you says is CRT and/or DEI? That is the impression you guys give off. An effective Education System can't function that way. I have been an Adjunct Professor earlier in my professional career. I worked with Conservative Educators, Liberal Educators, and Educators that you couldn't quite get a gauge on (those are usually your best). The best education comes when you have environment free for all of those perspectives to flourish. You can't have that when you want to muzzle people by calling everything you see or hear CRT or DEI. You can't have a pure environment for your kids. Usually when you try to do that, you push your children to the very thing that you are trying to protect them from.

 

[Lurker123]

Of course not, but you guys are not giving any specific examples. You are just engaging in innuendo and rumor and I don't believe in that. For the record, is your depth of understanding that everything a person different than you says is CRT and/or DEI. That is the impression you guys give off.

If that is your impression, then my impression of you has sunk even lower. No one ever said "anything said by people different from me" was DEI. Thats nonsense. That's a very disingenuous straw man AT BEST.

On the other hand, you have repeatedly asked for a class listing of "DEI", as if its a standalone course at a school. Again, a stance so completely laughable that it tells me you aren't being serious at all.

Now don't forget you've got a bunch of links above you have to make up reasons to dismiss.

 

[uscjunkie]

I saw an interview on the streets of NYC and the young BLACK girl was asked, "What was President Lincoln famous for doing?" Her answer.....The Lincoln Tunnel? That should be automatic deportation to Stupid Island where you are forced to live amongst your kind!

 

[Lurker123]

There is an awful lot of business investment being done in DEI for K-12 education for there to be ''no one is teaching DEI in K-12 education''. In fact, there is a whole industry built around it and not a figment of the imagination. Just a couple of examples below.

Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in K12 Education—Hurix Digital

Explore the impact of DEI in K12 education, its benefits, and strategies for fostering inclusive learning environments in schools.

www.hurix.com

5 Ways to Improve DEI for K-12 Curriculum

As educational content creators, it is our responsibility to strive for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in K-12 education.

apasseducation.com

Graduate Online Teacher Education Programs | Merrimack

Advance your career with Merrimack College's online teacher education programs, developed in partnership with top school districts and employers.

online.merrimack.edu

Pentagon 'stealthily' pushing DEI in K-12 schools despite public pressure, report shows

The Pentagon has spent a combined nearly $6 million since 2019 on education vendors providing DEI materials, according to the report.

kval.com

The crickets on this one honestly surprised me. I expected a half baked dismissal of some sort.

 

[Guy in the Back]

The crickets on this one honestly surprised me. I expected a half baked dismissal of some sort.

I’ll take a crack at it. No, DEI nor CRT is being taught in public schools in SC….as the norm. It is not part of the approved standards for our state. That doesn’t mean you will not have the occasional teacher to do it, but it is a very small minority. Now, when you move into dual enrollment and AP classes, the school nor the district is involved in that curriculum. They must teach what the College Board or the institute issuing the college credit says they have to. In some of those classes, AP Psych and AP Human Geography delves into some of it…more DEI than CRT.

Folks blaming teachers for the “woke” school agenda is also flawed. 99% of the teachers I have worked with just want to teach their subject matter to their students. Help develop the ability to think and function as part of a group. Leave all of the politics and “wokeness” to the families.

 

[Guy in the Back]

Teachers have consistently tried to blame poor parenting and lack of parental involvement. So, parents get involved and parents are calling out what and how their children are being taught and the quality of the educational curriculum. Now the teachers/administrators don't like the parents being involved. Blaming parents was the easy option but now it is becoming clear that teaching children the basics needed to become productive adults is not the primary focus in our schools. Now administrators switch back to money being the issue preventing our children from getting a basic education and this too has shown to be a fallacy demonstrated in areas where school choice has been implemented and teachers/administrators are accountable for the quality of the education they provide.

If you truly believe this, I’d encourage you to take a sub class and sub in some of your local schools occasionally. You’ll find out in a hurry that parenting overall is a huge issue. Many parents can not be reached when needed. Many change numbers and never let the school know. Every parent of a public school student in the state of SC can access their child’s grades and attendance at anytime, yet I’d bet statewide less than 65% of parents have set up an account to do so. They do not limit social media intake (which in my opinion cell phones are the biggest onto learning right now), and dare you to say something about their child using their phone in class. I have been told I don’t pay the bill so I will not tell her child what to do with the phone.

You mentioned accountability. Teachers are held accountable as much as they can be. Replacing them with an upgrade is a 50/50 gamble right now. For positions we used to get 20+ applicants for, we may get 5-7 now.

I’m not sure if when you were talking about school choice, you were talking about private school vouchers. If so, I promise you that is private schools had to play by the same accountability, enrollment, and attendance policies public schools do, you’ll see a drop in their performance. They typically do not face the variables that a public school faces when it comes to the families they serve. Now for me, I prefer where I am. The kids we serve need us more than the kids a private school serves would.

I will say that I agree with you. Money is a problem, but it isn’t the major problem. If we would remove the paperwork associated with the process, remove cell phones from schools, and education be a priority in 90% of our homes, we would not be in the mess we are in. The biggest problem for me is the disparity in pay from district to district. Districts with smaller tax bases lose quality folks to surrounding places that pay more. For example I love where I am, but eight districts within a 30 minute drive pay significantly more than I make. When I say significantly, I mean $20k more. Teachers in those districts make $4k more.

 

[Lurker123]

I’ll take a crack at it. No, DEI nor CRT is being taught in public schools in SC….as the norm. It is not part of the approved standards for our state. That doesn’t mean you will not have the occasional teacher to do it, but it is a very small minority. Now, when you move into dual enrollment and AP classes, the school nor the district is involved in that curriculum. They must teach what the College Board or the institute issuing the college credit says they have to. In some of those classes, AP Psych and AP Human Geography delves into some of it…more DEI than CRT.

Folks blaming teachers for the “woke” school agenda is also flawed. 99% of the teachers I have worked with just want to teach their subject matter to their students. Help develop the ability to think and function as part of a group. Leave all of the politics and “wokeness” to the families.

The crux of the disagreement is in the phrase "in the norm". It allows one side to say its not being taught, while the other side can say it is. As has been mentioned, one can argue something isn't being taught, while at the same time it is used "as a lense through which we frame our lessons", etc.

I disagree with your assertion of 99% of teachers based on my own personal experience with 3 children currently in grade school, middle and highschool. But that is anecdotal, obviously.

 

[Guy in the Back]

The crux of the disagreement is in the phrase "in the norm". It allows one side to say its not being taught, while the other side can say it is. As has been mentioned, one can argue something isn't being taught, while at the same time it is used "as a lense through which we frame our lessons", etc.

I disagree with your assertion of 99% of teachers based on my own personal experience with 3 children currently in grade school, middle and highschool. But that is anecdotal, obviously.

I said 99% of the teachers I have worked with, not 99% overall. But I can guarantee you, that 99% is a good number in a lot of places across SC. In others pockets/areas of the state,I can guarantee it is not.

In my building, it is not taught in any of typical required classes. It is part of the AP Psych and AP Human Geography courses that we teach on campus, but again that curriculum is set by AP exam.

As far as being taught, I’m not playing the semantics game. As I said, I know it happens. I also know that it is not part of the SC state standards. I will also stand on the assertion that the number of teachers teaching these things are significantly smaller than you think.

All of that said, I do think as folks my age begin to age out and are replaced by younger kids, i believe that number will gradually increase. But again, I’ll go back to the parenting piece. As fewer families attend church and spend less quality time together, I think you’ll see fewer parents think it is a problem. How else do you explain transgender early elementary kids? My God does not give me the authority or power to condemn anyone, but no way a 6 year old knows they want to be the opposite sex.

Schools are not the root of the problem. At least not yet.

 

[Lurker123]

I said 99% of the teachers I have worked with, not 99% overall. But I can guarantee you, that 99% is a good number in a lot of places across SC. In others pockets/areas of the state,I can guarantee it is not.

In my building, it is not taught in any of typical required classes. It is part of the AP Psych and AP Human Geography courses that we teach on campus, but again that curriculum is set by AP exam.

As far as being taught, I’m not playing the semantics game. As I said, I know it happens. I also know that it is not part of the SC state standards. I will also stand on the assertion that the number of teachers teaching these things are significantly smaller than you think.

All of that said, I do think as folks my age begin to age out and are replaced by younger kids, i believe that number will gradually increase. But again, I’ll go back to the parenting piece. As fewer families attend church and spend less quality time together, I think you’ll see fewer parents think it is a problem. How else do you explain transgender early elementary kids? My God does not give me the authority or power to condemn anyone, but no way a 6 year old knows they want to be the opposite sex.

Schools are not the root of the problem. At least not yet.

Basically agree here.

I thought you meant 99% overall originally, but I was careful to point out that my disagreement on that number was anecdotal. Just based on my personal experience.

I also like your comment that you know it happens, but you also know it is not part of the standards. I personally think that is the way some people try to claim its not being taught at all. A game of semantics.

Also agree on the age of the teachers thing. Again, anecdotal, but my experience matches that.

Strongly agree on the parenting thing. Strong parenting is a must. It impacts so much more than just schooling too.

Thanks for the well thought out post. Have a nice day.